The haitian revolution : an environmental perspective

Abstract

Human and nonhuman agency played an equal role in creating the change that was the Haitian Revolution and the impressive efforts to continue usage of colonial infrastructure to rebuild the new nation’s economy post revolution. This essay will shift away from the focus of nationalism and race as one of the most covered topics within existing historiography, hence my thesis will focus on the environment of the Haitian Revolution in discussing the impact of Haiti’s agriculture on the post revolution and post revolution economy, strategic use of the topography and linking similar biological factors for warfare during the revolution in relation to human decisions, and the way in which revolutionary legacy was embodied in aspects of the physical environment. With the focus on the essay on the time period of 1791 to 1812, the argument of this essay is that the environment was an integral factor in shaping the course of events during the Haitian Revolution and the post revolution Haitian economy, thus leaving its indelible mark on the legacy on the revolution as seen in the environmental symbols and related environmental laws.